Breaking It to Lee
by WhiteFeather1965
Summary: After more than two years of marriage Amanda finds out she is expecting. How will she tell Lee and will this be good news?


Disclaimer: Scarecrow and Mrs. King is owned by Shoot the Moon Productions and Warner Brothers. For entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement intended.

After more than two years of marriage Amanda finds out she is expecting. How will she tell Lee and will this be good news?

**Breaking It to Lee**

Amanda sat on the examining table and waited for the doctor to return with her test results. It was about time for her annual physical and she had been feeling decidedly out of sorts recently. It was cold in the examining room and Amanda ran her hands up and down her arms to warm them.

"This place must be run by vampires," she said under her breath. "It must be 65 degrees in here and they took enough blood for a Red Cross donation."

Dr. Pringle came back into the room and was silent for a few moments while he made a few notations on her medical chart. "Good news, Mrs. Stetson. You don't have the latest bug that's been going around," he said, as he glanced up. Then, he hesitated.

"That's good, but I can tell by the look on your face that there is something more you want to tell me," Amanda said, thinking it was something bad. All kinds of possibilities paraded through her head, ranging from cancer to dengue fever. But one possibility did not occur to her.

"Yes, Mrs. Stetson. Your tests indicate you are about 8 weeks pregnant and that would put your due date around the middle of February," Dr. Pringle said and smiled.

"Oh, my gosh!" Amanda exclaimed, her fingers resting on her lower lip. "Are you sure?"

"As sure as I can be," chuckled Dr. Pringle and grinned even wider.

"My husband will be so excited. Thank you, Dr. Pringle," Amanda said and her dark eyes sparkled with happiness and excitement.

The doctor wrote her a prescription for prenatal vitamins and said, "I want to see you back here in one month, young lady and don't hesitate to call before then if you have any questions or concerns." With that he offered his congratulations and was on to his next patient.

After the doctor left the room, Amanda sat for a few moments to calm herself and collect her thoughts. Would this really be good news for Lee and what about her mother and the boys? A soft groan escaped her throat at the thought.

"First, I have to find a way to tell Lee, then the rest is all downhill," she sighed under her breath.

Then, she stepped down from the examining table and grabbed her purse and prenatal bag from the counter. She compiled a shopping list in her head for a very special dinner as she sauntered down the hallway to the receptionist's desk to make her next appointment.

LSAKLSAKLSAK

A few hours later, Amanda lugged groceries into the house and began to prepare a very special dinner for two. Part of her plan was to bribe Dotty into taking the boys to the new space movie they wanted to see. She even sprang for soda and popcorn. When she told Dotty to stay out at least three hours, she grinned self-consciously and shelled out for ice cream, too.

When Lee arrived home, the dining room table looked as though it had been set for the arrival of royalty for dinner, not just plain old Lee Stetson, suburban husband. Candles, flowers, china plates, crystal wine glasses, linen napkins, a bowl that contained real butter and silverware that gleamed in the candlelight graced the table. The smells coming from the kitchen made Lee's mouth water, since he had not taken the time to eat lunch.

Amanda glanced up as she saw Lee come into the room and take in the preparations for dinner. Lee caught sight of her and welcomed his wife into his embrace. "Hi, honey. Looks like a celebration. What are we celebrating?"

She tapped the tip of his nose with her finger before she kissed him to welcome him home from a hard day's work. When they both came up for air, Amanda drew back and looked into his eyes and said, "You'll see. Now go get cleaned up for dinner. It'll be ready in about 15 minutes."

Amanda heard him trudge up the stairs, as she ferried a chilled bottle of decent vintage red wine, steaks, baked potatoes, salad, steamed vegetables and thickly sliced French bread to the table. Lee came back down a bit later, clean shaven and his hair still damp from a quick shower. He was dressed in khakis, a dress shirt open at the throat and brown leather loafers.

Amanda saw him enter the kitchen and he asked, "Can I help you with anything?"

"Not at the moment," she said as she took off her apron and took his hand to escort him into the dining room.

Lee brought the hand he held to his lips to kiss her hand and pulled out her chair for her. He waited for her to seat herself and get settled, before he made his way to the other side of the table and seated himself. As Lee sat across from her, he thought she looked dazzling in black dress pants and a silvery white sweater that sparkled in the candlelight. Looking over the repast that his wife offered this fine evening, Lee paused for a moment to appreciate the time, effort and expense that went into the preparation and presentation of this meal.

Lee smiled and helped himself to steak, potato, vegetables and salad. He cut a piece of steak, brought it to his mouth and chewed. He savored it for a moment before he said, "This is delicious and the table is just beautiful."

Amanda beamed at his compliment. She sat with her chin propped on her hand observing her husband. Two years ago he would have dug into the meal without comment or thanks. Perhaps the lone wolf intelligence agent was slowly being domesticated and normalized. But then Amanda wouldn't dare tell _him_ that, not even under torture.

While she ate, Amanda contemplated how she was going to tell Lee. Should she just blurt it out, short sweet and to the point or should she beat about the bush a bit? The time would come way too soon, as far as Amanda was concerned.

As Lee buttered his second slice of French bread, Amanda asked, "How is the Rostov case going?"

"It's not going great, Amanda. No leads and we have nothing to go on. We can't figure out how they are getting millions in diamonds to their customers in exchange for highly sensitive information," Lee said, the frustration in his voice evident.

"That's too bad. Just give it some time and you'll get a break. I know you will," Amanda said and made to stand up and start clearing the dishes.

Lee motioned her down and smiled. "Girls cook, boys clear. That was the deal we made when I bought the dishwasher." At Amanda's questioning look, Lee said, "Yes, even tonight." Lee had gotten her a dishwasher for Christmas the year before and Amanda still marveled that she no longer had dishpan hands.

When Lee came back from depositing the first load of dishes in the sink, he said, "I saw a poppy seed cake on the counter. Would you like coffee and dessert in the den by the fire?"

Amanda smiled and said, "Ummm… that was the plan."

"Go on in there then and I'll be there in a jiff," said Lee. While Lee carried a tray laden with cups of fresh, steaming black coffee and thick slices of poppy seed cake, Amanda settled herself on the couch and tried to remember how to breathe. Lee set the tray on the coffee table and went to light the carefully laid stack of logs in the fireplace.

When they were both settled on the couch, Amanda took a deep breath and looked up to find Lee looking at her, his eyes shining with excitement and curiosity. "So, now maybe I'm going to find out what this is all about?" Lee asked and reached for a cup of coffee. He handed it to Amanda and then took the other one for himself. His eyes sparkled over the edge of his cup as he took a sip of the steaming brew.

"Yes," said Amanda and she took another breath to calm her fluttering heart. "As you know, today I went in for my annual physical. I don't have the flu, but the doctor did have something to tell me, that explained why I've been tired, dizzy and nauseous recently."

"Honey?" Lee said, suddenly alert to danger – something he could not fight, a disease that could take his beloved Amanda from him.

Amanda's eyes became bright with unshed tears as she touched Lee's face, marred suddenly with shock and worry. "The doctor told me we're going to have a baby."

Had Lee heard correctly? Were they going to have a baby? Lee's coffee cup clunked to the table as a slow smile spread over his face. He crashed to the floor next to the couch and took both of her hands in his. He brought them to his lips and ran his cheek over the back of her hand.

"Are you sure? Are you okay? Do you need anything? When is it due?" Lee said, all in one breath. Amanda smiled through her tears. It was not often she was able to throw Lee for a loop and she was definitely going to enjoy this chance.

She took one question at a time. "Yes, I'm very sure. I'm very healthy and the baby is fine. I have to see the doctor again in one month. I don't need anything right now. I just want you to hold me. The doctor said that I am about 8 weeks along and that the baby is due about the middle of February around our third wedding anniversary."

Lee smiled and came back to sit next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her hair. She snuggled into his shoulder. "I love you," Lee whispered. "I love you so much."

"Are you happy, Lee?" Amanda asked, her voice shaking slightly.

"Amanda, I'm over the moon," he practically crowed. Lee smiled and kissed her. Then he rested his hand on Amanda's lower belly, "Thank you for this," he said. His hand left a warm imprint.

There they stayed, each savoring the closeness of the one person they each loved most in the world.

LSAKLSAKLSAK

What seemed hours later, Dotty and the boys came through the front door. Dotty sent the boys upstairs to get ready for bed and went through to the kitchen to find the remains of the candlelight dinner for two. The dining room was empty as well and held further evidence of the goings on that night while she had been out.

She made her way to the den and cracked the door. She glanced through the narrow opening and spied the romantic couple in question cuddled on the couch before the fireplace wrapped in each others' embrace. There was a tray on the table with cake and coffee. The cake was untouched and the coffee was long cold. Apparently they had come in here for coffee and dessert and found something a bit more interesting to do.

Dotty backed out and quietly closed the door, not wanting to disturb them. It was obvious they were celebrating something. She knew they would tell her and the boys when they were ready, but she would surely die of curiosity before they did.

LSAKLSAKLSAK

Lee roused and blinked. His left arm was completely numb where Amanda had been laying on it. He flexed his hand a few times to get the blood circulating again and checked his watch. It was just after midnight. He looked at Amanda burrowed into his shoulder. Her face was so calm and at peace that Lee was reluctant to disturb her. He shook his head and sighed. He jostled her gently and said softly, "Amanda."

She blinked and inhaled. "Mmmmm," she purred and sat up to stretch. "What time is it?" she asked, her voice still rusty with sleep.

"Just after midnight," Lee answered.

"Did Mother and the boys get home all right?" Amanda asked worriedly.

Lee got up and found the door pulled to but not latched, as it had been. He indicated the door as he said, "Apparently, your mother came home and found us snuggled up together on the couch and decided not to disturb us."

"Oh, my gosh! The kitchen is still a disaster," Amanda said and smacked her forehead.

Lee touched the tip of her nose with his finger before he kissed it and said, "For now expectant mothers need their rest. Let's go to bed. The dishes can wait until the morning."

"Okay," Amanda reluctantly agreed. With a smile she took Lee's hand and led him upstairs.


End file.
